OTOY Forums

I'm a noob to this software, but not a noob to DAZ Studio. I'm used to plugins with incomplete user manuals, and I'm relatively skilled at search-and-find to learn how to use them. Assuming this forum contains helpful posts for noobs like me, it would be nice if those posts were located somewhere prominent, like stickied at the top. Anyhoo, since I've been unable to find a basic CLICK HERE FIRST, THEN DO THIS, FOLLOWED BY THAT starter tutorial, would someone be so kind as to toss me a few links that might give me a CLUE as to how to use this plugin? SO appreciative for any useful information...

Hello and welcome to Octane!
I am somewhat new myself, but have been able to use this without any significant issues after some experimenting and reading the manual for the Octane Standalone. That one is highly recommended as it explains a lot of the terms and functions that the plugin uses.
First thing I would recommend is to fire up the Octane stand alone and load one of the sample scenes (File -> Open, you can download the test scenes here at OTOY the bottom of the download page). This will allow you to ensure that everything runs correctly on your system and with your GPU.
Then just set up a scene in DS as you would normally do. No need for any lights. Start simple. Just a figure, cloths and a simple background. Once ready, open the OctaneRender Tab (via the menu or the button in the tools section). On the OctaneRender tab hit the "open viewport" button and off you go. From there it is a matter of experimenting with the different kernel, material setup etc. Ask questions here as they come up!
I am getting pretty good results so far. I have some examples in my dA gallery (thd777.deviantart.com).
Have fun
Ciao
TD

Thanks for responding TD. Yes, I've got the Octane manual and have browsed through it several times. I loaded the demo scenes in the demo version of Octane before I even purchased to ensure my system could handle it. I have also loaded a simple scene in DAZ and sent it to Octane through the plugin. Beyond that, it's all a big mystery to me.

The purpose of this thread is to suss out any existing tutorials. ARE there any? I'm perfectly capable of figuring all this out eventually, but I don't WANT to do it the hard way if I don't HAVE to. I'm not shy about asking questions in the forum, but I learn better by watching, and a tut would be very helpful...

Thanks linvanchene. So...the short answer is "No" there isn't an easy button?

Ah, well. I appreciate that you've taken the time to list those items that will help me get started. Thanks again.

Also when searching here for general Octane topics don't limit your searches to just this sub forum, there's lots of info you can use/adapt in all the forums. Materials is one such subject that can be adapted well in most cases.